Is your jet a business too? Or is it part of the executive compensation package? Among people who never fly privately, probably 99 out of 100 would view it only as the latter. We inside the industry, meanwhile, tend to acknowledge only the former-to a fault.

AVIATION LEGEND JIMMY DOOLITTLE made the first "blind" landing in September 1929, a little more than 80 years ago. He used an experimental Sperry gyroscope to serve as his artificial horizon and then-revolutionary radio beacons to home in on the runway.

It's understandable that no equivalent to your local auto-parts store exists for business jets. Aircraft maintenance records must be documented scrupulously, and the pedigree of every nut, bolt and washer has to be recorded for possible FAA review. So, when it comes time to replace a fuel pump or engine mount-or even a tire-it makes a difference where the part comes from.

Much has been written recently by defenders of business aviation about the 5,000 airports accessible to our aircraft in the U.S. That compares with the estimated 500 that accept airline service and the approximately 70 airports that handle the vast majority of airline flights.

Lavatories on corporate and privately owned airplanes run the gamut from none at all to luxuriously appointed throne rooms fit for royalty. If you take nothing else away from this little essay, please remember: When flying on an unfamiliar airplane, you need to ask ahead of time what facilities, if any, will be available. Then plan your meal and drink schedule accordingly.

Imagining what it's like to take a private jet flight with your kids is easy. Just picture them hermetically sealed for a few hours in a space not much bigger than a walk-in closet. On the minus side of the experience: on most jets, it's cold turkey on texting and Internet access; skateboarding is definitely out; and there's probably no live television.

What Americans call "landing gear," the British call "undercarriage," which really is much more logical. That's because an airplane uses its wheels not just to land but also to take off, taxi and sit around in the hangar. Whatever you call it, the part of the aircraft that allows it to move around on the ground has several distinguishing characteristics.